Tag Archives: reviews

When I started on my accidental hippie journey, I wasn’t anticipating learning about using plants as medicine. Sure, I already knew to drink echinacea tea when I caught a cold, but that was about it. Garlic for acne? Elderberry syrup for immune strength? These were all things that I needed to learn.

I have a love of Indian food that started when I cared for an Indian baby at Children’s Hospital. His mother always brought her own food rather than buying things in the cafeteria. There was a strong, almost overpowering, aroma of curry that seemed to surround her near meal times, but her food looked delicious. And despite her intensely stressful situation, she stayed healthy and her skin positively glowed.

This was when I started learning about turmeric and its many healing properties.

Turmeric has been used as more than just a food flavoring for over 4,000 years. The characteristic orange-yellow coloring has lent this root to be used as a food dye alternative, but turmeric powder (and its most powerful ingredient, curcumin) also carry many health benefits.

Turmeric is chock-full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. This means that turmeric not only decreases inflammation within the body, but also aids in the body’s natural protective mechanisms to collect and dispose of free radicals.

Basically, turmeric cleans up areas in the body that house cell-disruptors, calms down other areas of chronic inflammation (making it a natural alternative to pain medication when taken regularly), and supports the immune system.

Pinterest is full of turmeric recipes, especially for Golden Milk lattes, a coffee-free beverage loaded with anti-inflammatory turmeric and healthy fats like coconut milk. I’ve also heard of people adding turmeric powder to their morning bulletproof coffee mugs.

As always, how herbs and roots are prepared influences the effectiveness of their use. Some brands of powder add colors to make it brighter. It is best to avoid these brands, especially if using turmeric for the medicinal benefits.

So when I was contacted by The Pulp Story about trying out their turmeric juice shots, I jumped at the chance to try their shots of juiced turmeric. Through juicing, the delicate enzymes are kept whole. This process keeps the curcumin and other beneficial enzymes intact, which makes the juice shots potent.

For the past week, Peter and I have been taking a daily “shot” of turmeric juice. I love the convenience of the individually bottled shots, which means I can throw one in my lunch box for health on-the-go. I’ve been able to try all four flavors, and I can honestly say they are all delicious. I appreciate that some flavors are more mellow, like the “Turmerics of Endearment“(just turmeric and pineapple juice), while some also include ginger juice and cayenne (“Some Like it Spicy”). I haven’t given any to Tristan, but he would probably like the “Cherry Poppins” or “Pomegranates of the Caribbean” flavors since they are the most fruity.

My morning routine is delicious!

The biggest change I’ve noticed in the past week is a decrease in my sugar cravings. This makes complete sense, considering the anti-inflammatory benefits. I’ve also been sleeping better, which is great since pregnancy-induced insomnia is a very real thing and I don’t have time for that. Not sure if my increased energy is from the antioxidants in the juice or the side effect of actually sleeping, but either way, I appreciate it!

To get started with your own Pulp Story experience (they have cleanses!) check out their products on Amazon. Your package will be delivered in dry ice, keeping your juice as fresh as possible. Once they arrive, be sure to keep them in the fridge.

Have you ever tried using turmeric medicinally? Let me know in the comments!

{Some links are affiliate links. I was provided with these products for free. All opinions are my own. Please read my full disclaimer here.}

March is National Nutrition Month, and I’m excited to participate with a few fun product reviews!

Bundle Organics was founded in 2013 with a great concept: organic juice combinations conveniently packaged for quick consumption. What sets them apart is that the juices are pasteurized. For pregnant women, the unfortunate threat of listeria can keep some women from eating as many fruits and vegetables as they should, so Bundle Organics takes away that concern. They also fortify the juices with extra nutrients for baby like folic acid, iron, and vitamin E.

I love that they don’t add any artificial dyes to the juices. I think the colors are beautiful because I happen to love food in its unadulterated form, but others might not find the color particularly appetizing. If that’s you, drink it straight from the bottle.

I also appreciated the no added sugar. I don’t really like for Tristan to have a lot of sugar, and I’ve diluted juice for him in the past. He couldn’t get enough of these juices and I finally had to give him the empty bottle to play with after he had his share.

There are 3 varieties of juice blends so far: berries, green, and orange. All three contain ginger and lemon, which is as good for the immune system as it is for pregnancy nausea. The berries blend contains a variety of the beautiful dark berries, spinach, and kale. The green blend is primarily kale and apple, and the orange features oranges and carrots.

Bundle Organics also launched a line of doctor approved herbal teas for pregnant and nursing moms on Kickstarter earlier this year. I’m going to anxiously await the Rooibos/Orange/Cardamom/Mango tea! I’m not pregnant, it just sounds delicious!

Pros:

All juices (and teas!) are organic

Lots of fruits and veggies in each bottle

Easy to consume – shake and drink!

Cons:

Delicate enzymes of raw fruits and vegetables are denatured in the pasteurization process. However, they are still packed with good nutrients, and I understand why they would need to be pasteurized since they are a consumable product that ships to people. Raw juice wouldn’t be so fresh-tasting.

I’m not usually a fan of fortified things. I think most nutrition can and should be found through food alone and not synthetic additives. For example, someone with the MTHFR gene can’t properly use folic acid and need the folate version. Perhaps if they were to change their fortification to the more natural folate rather than folic acid, their audience would be larger.

They are a bit on the pricey side. However, they are all organic ingredients, and it’s definitely cheaper than making a bottle of juice that size from scratch on your own.

All in all, I’m actually very impressed with this company and these products, and I will probably be purchasing some in the future, especially for any future pregnancies.

If you want to purchase Bundle Organics juices, you can also purchase them online through Target (if you live near a Target, choose the “ship to store” option so you don’t have to pay shipping).